Free Republic

WASHINGTON, D.C.—“It’s 9 a.m., and President Biden is perfectly alive and breathing,” read yet another press release from the White House. Most people find it reassuring to know the president isn’t dead. Yet the hourly, completely unprompted assurances that Biden has not died are starting to have the opposite effect on people. “I don’t usually spend a lot of time worrying that the president is dead,” said Washington D.C. citizen Tony Underwood, “but the constant statements from the White House have got me on edge.” Underwood pointed particularly to a recent one that said, “Biden is alive, but we can’t...

Exclusive: Americans consider withholding veto protecting Israel at UN if building goes ahead at Ramat Shlomo The US has given private assurances to encourage the Palestinians to join indirect Middle East peace talks, including an offer to consider allowing UN security council condemnation of any significant new Israeli settlement activity, the Guardian has learned. The assurances were given verbally in a meeting a week ago between a senior US diplomat and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. Since then – and after months of US diplomacy – it appears Israeli and Palestinian leaders are close to starting indirect "proximity" talks, which...

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, July 31, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice got firm commitments here today from Iraq’s neighbors that they’ll continue to support the Iraqi government and counter forces trying to derail it. (Video) Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meet with President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, July 31, 2007. Gates and Rice are in Egypt to meet with the president and the minister of defense to discuss regional affairs and the United States' long-term relationship with Egypt. Defense Dept....

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — The United States won new assurances Tuesday that an important air base used to support the war in Afghanistan will remain open as long as necessary. Rice and Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev (search) signed a brief statement promising open-ended U.S. use of the Manas air base for Afghan operations.....

Senior diplomatic officials said Wednesday the US is "watering down" assurances US President George W. Bush gave Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, less then a week after the two met in Washington. The officials pointed to recent comments made by US Secretary of State Colin Powell as examples. From Sharon's point of view, two of the most significant aspects of the Bush assurances were the sentence in the president's letter saying the US feels it "seems clear" that a fair solution to the Palestinian refugee issue should be found through a Palestinian state "rather than in Israel," and that "in light...

Saudi Arabia doesn't want to move its advanced F-15-S fighter-bombers away from the Tabuq airbase, which is near Israel, in apparent violation of US assurances to Israel when the US-made aircraft were sold to the Saudis in 1991, Army Radio is reporting. Saudi Arabia put the planes at the Tabuq base during the Iraq War to keep them away from the military action in Iraq. Army Radio said continued deployment of F-15-S planes at Tabuq is an apparent violation of American promises to Israel.